How to Lose Weight WITHOUT Counting Calories

Counting calories is not something I ever encourage for anyone, ever. It’s simply not a natural way of evaluating what to eat or when or if something is healthy or not.

We were meant to eat whole foods and listen to our bodies, not add up a bunch of numbers. By sticking to the real foods and being more in tune with your body, you will not only stay slim but become more beautiful overall. Plus…it’s exhausting!

It never seems to really work for the long term, and it doesn’t take into account high fiber foods will keep you far more full than foods without fiber, so you can eat up all your allotted calories and still be STARVING! How miserable is that? When you’re hungry you’re cranky and it negatively affects your focus all other areas of your life.

Let me also point out that calorie-counting was only introduced a few decades ago, and before that people as a whole were much more slim, without obsessing about numbers, and also sticking to whole, unprocessed foods. Here’s more on this subject, which I am vehemently passionate about:

Why Counting Calories Is Pointless

Not all calories are created equal. You won’t feel the same after eating 500 calories of French fries or cake as you will after 500 calories of a dish with high fiber quinoa and vegetables.

You won’t look the same, either, if you consistently choose to eat 500 calories of foods that rob you of your Beauty Energy over 500 calories that give your body the vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and plant-based protein it needs.

Some calories make you feel full while others don’t, so you’ll want to eat more and more when you eat certain meals or snacks (have you ever polished off a bag of chips without realizing it?). Who wants to be hungry because they ate a 100-calorie package of chips or cookies made from refined carbs and sugars instead of something more substantial? The calories you consume should be about quality, not quantity, regardless of the number.

You could stuff your face with “diet” foods with little nutritional value or eat greasy junk foods until you hit your limit for the day, but how long would that last? You might lose a little weight, but your body would eventually rebel, either from fatigue and sickness from not having enough nutrition, or from causing you to break down and binge. Some foods, like those that contain MSG (more foods than you might think, including some diet frozen dinners!), actually increase your appetite.

Other foods, like the myriad protein bars on the market, are made with so many processed ingredients that while the numbers might add up nicely, calculation-wise, they’ll be so difficult to digest they won’t keep you youthful and energized in the long-run, which leaves foods for energy!

How to Lose the Weight, No Math Involved!

If you get rid of all the things that are not promoting health—soda (even diet), refined carbs, refined sugars, consuming a lot of meat (acidic), and dairy—and replace those things with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, your body will begin operating more smoothly and dropping some of the weight it’s been holding onto.

Dairy is difficult to digest as it is not a natural food for humans, and it is a top allergen. Though it’s been promoted as a tool in fat loss for years, can actually make you gain weight. Diets high in dairy products can increase BMI, waist size, and weight. Remove it from your diet (there are other health benefits to this, too, like reducing inflammation that causes chronic pain).

Vegetables and fruits, which are the focus of the Beauty Detox Solution are naturally low in calories. Eat lots of these Beauty Foods! They’re high in fiber so they’ll make you feel full even though you’re not consuming hundreds and hundreds of calories per meal. When you replace the fatty junk foods with smoothies, salads, whole grains, and other healthy dishes, you’ll effortlessly cut calories without even thinking about it or needing to do the math. When paired correctly, these foods also increase your beauty, energy, and vitality, and they help you lose weight by loosening up and removing the sludge that’s accumulated in your body over the years. Part of the weight loss comes from cutting calories without obsessing about it because you’re eating so much good, nutritious food that fills you up without tacking on hundreds of extra calories the way the popular foods within the Standard American Diet do, but there’s so much more to it than that.

Another Beauty Detox tip that seems obvious but is often overlooked on other diet plans is this: only eat when you’re hungry. If you’re not hungry first thing in the morning, don’t eat right away. Don’t eat just because you feel that you “should” eat or because some diet plan said you need a certain number of snacks per day to keep your metabolism burning. If your body is still hard at work digesting the last meal you ate, the last thing it needs is a snack. You’ll just bog yourself down.

Though nuts, seeds, and avocados are good for you, don’t go, well, nuts! Keep it to a minimum so you’re not inadvertently adding a lot of fat and calories back into your diet. I recommend half of a large avocado or one small avocado per day or one to two ounces of nuts and seeds per day, max. Try to eat raw nuts rather than roasted because the enzymes in raw food aid digestion. You do need some healthy fats in your diet, so never cut them out completely.

Read labels, but for the ingredients, not calories. Honestly, you shouldn’t be looking at too many labels because you won’t be eating many pre-packaged foods with the Beauty Detox diet. You don’t get labels with pineapple or mighty kale! Either way, if you do find yourself considering something with a label, look out for things like soy, wheat, agave, sugar, artificial sweetener, and high-fructose corn syrup. They hide in unexpected places, including “health foods” (put down the protein bars with whey and soy isolates!).

Isn’t it nice to know that you can lose weight without putting too much thought into it? Simply training yourself to make better choices can encourage the pounds melt away without feeling like you’re on a diet.

Choosing whole, fresh, seasonal foods and combining them in a way that optimizes your body’s ability to digest them and remove old toxic buildup, as you learn to do in The Beauty Detox Solution, makes weight loss seem so easy compared to constantly tracking calories in foods that may or may not even be supplying your body with beauty-enhancing health benefits.

Eat great food, feel great, look great…be more loving to others but very importantly, yourself. You are amazing and perfect as you are, right now.

Love to all,

Kimberly

31 Comments

I just wanted to say that I’ve been following the BD lifestyle for 2.5 years and ignoring calorie counts has changed my life and made me much healthier. I’m a full-time photographic model and 27 years old, but look younger now than I did at 24. Following Kim’s advice to clear my skin also resulted in me losing 7 lb straight off the bat. Along with ceasing to calorie count, I also ceased weighing myself, but randomly did it anyway a day or two ago and discovered that without even trying I’d dropped my weight back to what it was when I was 19! I never thought this would be possible as I only maintained my low weight at age 19 through OBSESSIVE calorie counting. I drank Diet Coke and instant coffee with skim milk and zero-cal sweeteners all day and poured fat-free mayo on everything. I bought special foundation designed for covering scars for photo shoots to cover my acne and struggled to carry bags to work. I was constantly hungry and tired, and whenever I ate something a few calories over my strict diet plan, my weight increased. I figured I could never comfortably maintain the weight I preferred and so I gave up.

Today I have apparently landed on this low (but healthy BMI) weight without even realising it. My kitchen is stuffed with delicious foods, I go to restaurants like a normal person, and I simply read the ingredients lists in the supermarkets, not the nutriton informaton, because that’s all I need! I wear a simple dusting of mineral face powder to work and am constantly complimented on my clear skin and muscle tone. I have so much more energy and enjoy a better social life as well as getting (and being able to handle) more modelling bookings.

I think Kim’s program is revolutionary and urge everyone to try putting some of her principles into practice and seeing what happens. It’s wasn’t hard, I didn’t feel hungry and I noticed the difference in my skin after THREE DAYS. Three days of eating MORE than usual (GGS before my old usual breakfast, big mixed salads before my usual lunch and dinner) and the lines around my eyes diminished more dramatically than they did when I started using Clinique. Can I give a better recommendation than that??

Thank you so much Kim, you’ve really changed my life and I appreciate it sooo much.

Just on your point about dairy, and cutting it out as you believe we cant process it in our bodies or digest it properly.
Do you believe this statement is true for natural, probiotic, sheep/goats milk yoghurts?

Hi Kimberley, I thoroughly enjoy your approach and read it avidly. However I believe that your organisation has given my email address to Dr.Oz and I don’t want to receive anything from him – I didn’t sign up and certainly in Australia it is against the law to keep sending emails when I have asked to unsubscribe I unsubscribed and it just takes me to another site. He is unscrupulous. I find this to be a lack of integrity and I do not like this man’s approach. I only started receiving his rubbish after he interviewed you. Is there anything that can be done. I am sure others have complained about this.

Just have to say that I tried your raw cauliflower soup since you wrote how delicious it was. I could not eat it–I made it exactly as you wrote–it was way too salty for me and I just could not stomach it. I’m just amazed that you find it delicious.

Kimberly,
You are exactly who I have been waiting and searching for all these years. As a gluten free/vegan, I have spent hundreds of dollars buying books only to find the recipes in the books were awful or had ingredients that were impossible to find in the remote area where I live. Your recipes are easy, delicious and filling. My hair is thick and my skin is clear. I also sleep better and have more energy.
I enjoy both of your books and want to share with all my friends. Will be giving copies to everyone for birthdays and Christmas. I took my copy to show my doctor, who is gluten and dairy-free, and she was so impressed that she was ordering a copy for herself that afternoon.
Thank God I watched that episode of Dr. Oz a few years ago when I first saw you. Can’t wait for your next book! You are amazing and thank you for sharing your personal knowlege with everyone!
Donna

This is great info, and I’ve pretty much holding to this for quite sometime. Question though: I have hypoglycemia and have tried to eat mainly fruits and veggies, but my blood sugar dips so quickly when I have fruit. I’ve found if I add more nuts, seeds and oils to my diet it helps to prevent sugar crashes, but I’m afraid I’m consuming too much. Any advice on how I can stick to fruits and veggies and keep my blood sugar under control?
Thanks!

I thought I’d respond to your question because I have become a self-proclaimed expert on avoiding gluten after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. There are a lot of gluten-free options of breads and pastas available in stores. Some are made with millet, others with various other gluten-free grains. I have found a pasta that is made with corn and quinoa that tastes exactly like “regular” pasta. However, as an alternative to pasta, I have frequently used spaghetti squash-bake it in the oven and scrape it out and it will look like spaghetti- with some vegetables.

I think all of this is really on point…However, I think that folks should try to learn about the calories in food, because folks dont have a clue what they are eating in most cases. Unless you are eating just pure fruits and veggies…with no dressings then I think learning how much food is valued is a better way, in my opinion, to relearn how to eat. For example, once you realize that olive oil is super high in calories…most people dont realize that and pour on too much, then they will make the necessary adjustments to either pour less on…or avoid it altogether. Just my one cent. Peace

Thank you for all your interesting articles. I have a 6 year old daughter that enjoys milk and dairy. She can be picky about eating certain foods. I’ve made quinoa but she prefers eating chicken and white rice instead. What recipes and foods do you recommend for raising healthy kids?

In addition, I have hypo-thyroid and I take Synthroid daily. I am anemic and have low blood pressure. I also suffer from swelling hands and joint pains. What type of meals and recipes do you recommend?

I would like an answer to this as well. I have four kids under the age of 6. I can’t get them to eat many raw veggies. The grains are okay, but I don’t want them to loose weight as we are already a slender family by nature. Oh and getting them off milk would be like pulling teeth. They already don’t care for meat. Do I do a gluten free grain and potato of some sort every night to keep them full? The beauty detox is not laid out for kids, but I hope some tips can be given to make it more friendly. Kimberly, once you have children you’ll understand.

I’m currently trying to lose some weight, and I’m counting! You’re right – I feel hungry all the time! Even if I lose weight I don’t know how I will stay fit! I’m dieting to lose weight, and thinking just about eating what ever I like to eat!

It must be nice not to have to count calories, but as someone with an endocrine disorder where it’s gotten worse as I hit 30, I have to! I’ve already done the “eat healthy and mindful and don’t count cals” to discover I am INCAPABLE of eating mindfully without counting calories! I can eat healthy but I have to know what the amounts are of what I put into my mouth. I need to know for a fact my calorie intake is at a certain amount every day. I’m not naturally thin (I’m fat, tbh) and I have to work really hard just to lose 10 pounds. Counting calories with a few days of exercise each week is the only thing that has worked *for me.*